Why are you running for CCSD Trustee? What is your vision of success for this role? 

I am running for Trustee because, after years of advocating for our most vulnerable and maintaining a consistent presence in holding the current board accountable, putting my name on the ballot offers our families, educators, and staff a genuine choice to elect a dedicated ally for the enhancement of our local public schools. I am steadfast in my commitment to advancing policies that complement or enhance educational experiences and opportunities for students, and I am as dedicated as ever to rebuilding and repairing the strained relationships between our community members, businesses, and organizations. There is a path forward to bring the transparency and accountability Clark County needs, but it will only be restored by electing community grounded individuals.

How do you define student success? What experience do you have and what role do you intend to play in advocating for student success?

I was able to participate in the first cohort of Portrait of a Nevada Learner. This system, although optional for Districts at the moment, focuses on students, not the system. Student success is supporting learners as leaders and building a process where students can focus on skills that complement academics. Students need an environment to contribute those skills to the community. The Portrait focuses every opportunity for students to succeed by sharing their vision for success in finding what type of life they want to lead, and how to participate in a thriving community. Schools should be the center of encompassing students into the evolution of education to help accomplish the goal of students obtaining the skill sets required for their success. Students need an educational environment that chooses to allow their voices to be an active part of their learning environment to develop into self-advocated, self-directed, life-long learners.

On the 2022 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), fourth-grade students, in Nevada, scored 6 points lower in math and 7 points lower in reading when compared to 2019. If elected, how can you use your position to ensure Nevada stops following this national trend and starts leading the way for student outcomes?

I believe that steering into skills based learning will help educators take a whole building approach to meeting each student at their academic levels, to essentially wrap around individual students to help focus skills based competency so students can not just master, but conquer ELA and math skills.

What, if any, barriers currently exist to educational excellence and equity for every student? If elected to the Board of Trustees, how will you help eliminate these barriers?

The barriers that currently exist to educational excellence and equity for every student begins with freeing the reigns off educators work loads so they can fully invest their skills of teaching to their students. Lifting the weight off of educators helps improve the culture and climate in school buildings. Relieving unnecessary added work loads and improving teacher/staff burdens is extremely important to them being able to fully support students. Following the Portrait of Learner is key to moving into the future of education and uplifting each and every student regardless of zip code or economic status to be treated and supported exactly where they are academically. Utilizing a student centered approach for their educational and life success is something we have an opportunity to begin now. As a Trustee, I would encourage my fellow Trustees to lean away from for-profit testing, away from canned curriculum, and away from burdensome and unnecessary and sometimes imaginary “goals” that we have been unable to achieve success outcomes under for decades.

We must seek alternatives that move us far into the future now. 

What do you believe are the top three most persistent challenges facing the CCSD Board of Trustees? What is an example of a bold approach you would propose to address one of those challenges?

Currently, we have been stuck with the same 4-3 voting block for years that is encouraging the system to shut out the community and force changes to governance that is not beneficial to CCSD. We have people in power that do not want change. We have leadership that just keeps driving us down the same path that does not raise any statistics in students actual success.

I am committed to breaking the 4-3 block by not staying within the decisions that continue to not improve CCSD.

I am committed to not being an elected official that sides with money over the future success of CCSD.

I am committed to venture every path that is feasible to uplifting educators, staff, and students towards true success and finally move the needle in the positive directions we haven’t seen in decades.

In January four appointed members were added to the Board of Trustees. How will you leverage the expertise of these appointed members to best serve students? Do you think the appointed members should be voting members? 

Due to the ongoing behavior of the current 4-3, the legislature will be giving them a vote. I have personally grown to appreciate and respect each of them despite initially not being in favor of it. I believe with the right Board, their voices and expertise can be utilized in achieving the true community partners that have been damaged by the Board over the years. All of our municipalities have an ability to contribute significantly to the improvement of our public schools. Egos and the lust for power must take a back seat to the needs of CCSD, our educators/staff, and most of all our students.

I have vowed to give them a vote before the legislature makes it law. Without them and our community, the previous superintendent would have walked away with a larger sum of money. They each try their best to participate in a current environment where they are not welcomed and the Board has done all they can do to silence them. This is not positive for anyone and cannot continue into the future.

Research suggests that more than 50% of a board meeting should be focused on student outcomes. How would you ensure the board allocates this amount of time to student outcomes?

By immediately prohibiting the use of the term “student success” as it is currently used without the actual affect of creating their success. This Board has not re-visited the metrics upon which the superintendent is evaluated for almost 3 years now. Even when they did, they allowed the superintendent and his staff to choose the areas to which he would be evaluated. This created a self-centered valuation process that would not allow him to actually be held accountable for the lack of success. The new Trustees need to be centered on re-visiting those matrix’s and be focused on what efforts actually do center around student success and not the illusion of success.

We must have a superintendent and Board that has more than just a dream in how to move towards raising the success metrics and that must be done in partnership with everyone, not just a select or preferred few. 

If elected to the Board, how would you approach challenging conversations and/or criticisms that might arise from fellow Board members, stakeholders, and the broader community?

As I currently am; reading, willing, and able to engage in those conversations. For a new member, there is nothing to take personal as we have not been the ones adding to the problems. We must be focused on the solutions. I have begged the Board for years to continue to hold community listening sessions and meetings. We have not had one in approximately 3 years. Although they are making plans for this year for some, they have waited way too long to not face the communities in which they serve. I refuse to hide behind arbitrary rules that do not follow the spirit of open meeting laws. I do not lie, and I do not tolerate being lied to. People have difficulty accepting responsibility for their own actions and I do not.

What key indicators would you use to assess the performance of CCSD’s Superintendent? How would you hold the Superintendent accountable?

This is for conversation with the Board as outlined above but we cannot hold a superintendent accountable by false matrix’s.  

In a recent survey, 77% of Nevada residents agreed that parents should be able to send their children to the public school they feel is best for their child, even if it is outside of their neighborhood. Do you agree? Please explain your reasoning.

CCSD implemented the COSA program to control the overcrowding at schools that was largely caused by the zone variances being granted unilaterally between schools regardless of the availability of facilities/staff. I do not believe that COSA should be a permanent policy. But now that we have alleviated the extreme over crowding that we have seen in the past, it is potentially time to bring the conversation back to the table to how to return to the variance process with potentially guardrails in place so that school sites can make the determinations vs. central office that is often detached from the actual needs of students and the community.  

The following question was submitted by a current public high school student: How will you ensure students are put at the forefront of the decision making process as a member of the Board of Trustees, and what accountability measures would you put in place to make sure this happens? 

By imploring CCSD to move to the Portrait of a Nevada Learner. By making sure that the student committee is brought back into public view and is representative of all student voices. By utilizing the expertise of our existing leaders, community partners, and consultants to make sure that we are truly focused on the students and not adults removed from school sites.